The present invention relates to an apparatus for brewing a beverage from an aqueous medium (e.g. hot water) and a particulate (e.g. ground) beverage material such as for example ground coffee. The invention in particular is related to an apparatus able to brew coffee using a semi-automatic brewing cycle. Although the text which follows will make specific reference coffee brewing machines the invention is applicable to the brewing of other beverage (e.g. tea).
Automatic coffee brewing machines are known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,641, for example, teaches a piston based automatic coffee brewing machine. The entire contents of this United States patent is hereby incorporated by reference.
Known automatic coffee brewing machines have the draw back that the coffee provided by the machine is limited to the type or types of coffee which is associated with the machine. In other words, a user of the automatic machine is restricted with respect to the choice of coffee, i.e. the user is not able to operate the machine with his own choice of coffee which is different from that offered by the machine.
It would be advantageous to have a beverage brewing apparatus which would allow a user to brew a beverage (e.g. coffee) which is different from that provided in the beverage machine.
The present invention provides in a beverage brewing apparatus for preparing a beverage from an aqueous medium and a particulate beverage material with an automatic brewing cycle comprising delivering particulate beverage material and aqueous medium to a brew vessel and withdrawing beverage from said brew vessel to a dispensing station, said apparatus comprising particulate beverage material storage means, particulate beverage material delivery means for delivering particulate beverage material from said storage means to said brew vessel, aqueous medium delivery means for delivering aqueous medium to said brew vessel, beverage withdrawal means for withdrawing beverage from said brew vessel and delivering beverage to a beverage dispensing station and control means for controlling said particulate beverage material delivery means, said aqueous medium delivery means and said beverage withdrawal means, the control means being configured to induce (i.e. to operate the apparatus so as to provide) said automatic brewing cycle which includes the delivery of particulate beverage material from the particulate beverage material storage means to the brew vessel, the improvement wherein said control means is able (i.e. configured so as) to provide a semi-automatic brewing cycle wherein the particulate beverage material delivery means is inactive (i.e. does not participate in the brewing cycle) and said semi-automatic brewing cycle comprises delivering aqueous medium to said brew vessel and withdrawing beverage from said brew vessel to said dispensing station and said apparatus further comprises selection means in communication with said control means for allowing a user to select between said automatic brewing cycle and said semi-automatic brewing cycle, manual particulate beverage material introduction means, separate from said particulate beverage material delivery means, for a user to manually introduce particulate beverage material into said brew vessel for said semi-automatic brewing cycle and brew cycle initiation means in communication with said control means for initiating said semi-automatic brewing cycle.
In accordance with the present invention the apparatus maybe configured to reset to automatic mode after a semi-automatic brewing operation; alternatively the apparatus may have control means which stays in semi-automatic mode unless otherwise instructed by a user (e.g. pushing an appropriate mode initiation button/switch). In either case the apparatus may of course comprise selection means in communication with said control means for allowing a user to select between said automatic brewing cycle and said semi-automatic brewing cycle, e.g. to have the machine be instructed to proceed with the semi-automatic mode.
As may be appreciated in accordance with the present invention the control means is associated with mode change means (i.e. the selection means) for selectively placing said particulate beverage material delivery means in a stand-by mode wherein the particulate beverage material delivery means is inactive for the semi-automatic brewing cycle.
The word xe2x80x9cautomaticxe2x80x9d as used herein means that once the brew cycle (whether automatic or semi-automatic) is engaged or initiated by a user then beverage brewing proceeds with no further intervention from the user to provide the brewed beverage.
In accordance with the present invention the particulate beverage material may, for example, be selected from the group consisting of coffee and tea.
In accordance with the present invention the brew vessel may be disposed in a housing and the manual particulate beverage material introduction means may comprise a housing lid for providing access through the housing to the brew vessel (and if desired or necessary, chute guide means), for the introduction of the particulate beverage material into said brew vessel. Alternatively, the particulate beverage material introduction means may comprise only an opening (e.g. in the absence of a housing enclosing the brew vessel or chamber) in the brew vessel (e.g. an upper or top opening as described herein).
In accordance with the present invention the apparatus may have a brew vessel which may have a floor, at least a portion of which, is configured as a filter for the evacuation of beverage from the vessel and being permeable to air; additionally the apparatus may have a fluid displacement means for forcing air into the brew vessel through the floor and for withdrawing obtained beverage. from the brew vessel through the floor.
Thus an apparatus of the present invention for preparing a beverage from an aqueous medium and a particulate beverage material may have a brew vessel having a floor, the floor being configured as a filter for the evacuation of beverage from said brew vessel and being permeable to air, supply means for supplying aqueous medium and particulate beverage material to said vessel, fluid displacement means for forcing air into the brew vessel through said floor and for withdrawing obtained beverage from the brew vessel through said floor, control means to effect a brewing cycle, said brewing cycle comprising supplying aqueous medium (and, if fully automatic, particulate beverage material) to the brew vessel, forcing air through said floor to agitate a mixture of beverage material and aqueous medium in the brew vessel and drawing the obtained beverage from the vessel through said floor, and a dispensing station for dispensing the obtained beverage.
The invention in particular may be used with piston type coffee brewing machines such as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,641. Such piston type coffee brewing machines are constructed for brewing a beverage from water (e.g. hot water) and ground beverage material in a brew vessel wherein at least a portion of the floor of the brew vessel is permeable to gas (e.g. air) and liquid and impermeable to the (spent) ground beverage material. An apparatus of this type may have any suitable (known) control means so as to be able to be operated so as to supply a predetermined amount of particulate beverage material and (hot) water to the brew vessel, thereafter forcing air through the gas/liquid permeable floor into the vessel to agitate the mixture and finally withdrawing the brewed beverage through the floor of the brew vessel and delivering it to a dispensing station i.e. a station at which may be placed a cup to receive the brewed beverage.
Alternatively, the present invention may of course be used with any other (known) types of brewing machines which exploit a brew vessel and a (fully) automatic brew cycle.